In a letter to India’s Chief Justice, DY Chandrachud, parents of LGBTQIA+ children urged him to examine the Marriage Equality petition, adding that “we hope to see the legal stamp on rainbow marriages of our children in our lifetime.”
The letter written by the parents of Indian LGBTQIA+ children from a group named Sweekar – The Rainbow Parents, stated, “We desire to see our children and our children-in-law find legal acceptance for their relationship under the Special Marriages Act in our country. We are certain that a nation as big as ours, which respects its diversity and stands for the value of inclusion, will open its legal gates of Marriage Equality to our children too. We are growing old. Some of us will touch 80 soon. We hope that we get to see the legal stamp on the rainbow marriages of our children in our lifetime.
Sweekar – The Rainbow Parents is a support group run by parents of LGBTQIA+ children to help them negotiate their journey to acceptance. There are almost 400 parents from all over the country participating.
The letter further stated, “We are appealing to you to consider the plea for Marriage Equality.”
“From knowing about gender and sexuality to understanding the lives of our children, to finally accepting their sexuality and their loved one – we have gone through the whole gamut of emotions. We empathise with those who are opposing Marriage Equality because some of us were there too. It took us education, debate and patience with our LGBTQIA+ children to realise that their lives, feelings and desires are valid,” the parents said.
“Similarly, we hope that those who oppose Marriage Equality will come around too. We have faith in the people of India, the constitution and the democracy of our nation,” said the parents of Indian LGBTQIA+ children.
The Supreme Court of India read down Section 377 on September 6, 2018, decriminalising consensual sexual interactions. The Rainbow Parents stated that by doing so, it ensured that their children would be treated with dignity and acceptance. Gender and sexuality were also mentioned in election manifestos, and corporate India has been increasingly coming up to the idea of gay existence, according to the letter.
“Society is a changing and evolving phenomenon. Just as a rising tide lifts all boats, the judgement by the honourable Supreme Court created a ripple effect on society and has helped move the needle from hate to tolerance to acceptance,” the rainbow parents said.
